Need for a Neutral Third Party in Mediation

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Why a Mediator Should Be A Neutral Third Part?
Mediation is one of the widely applied alternative approaches to finding solutions to disputes that arise in different settings. The process is aided by a third party, who guides the conflicting parties in reaching common ground and formulates the most effective resolutions. Pertinent to mediation is the argument whether the third party should be a neutral individual. From a personal viewpoint, for the process to be effective, the mediator has to be neutral, and with no inclination towards either of the disputing parties. The primary role of a mediator is to assist the parties involved in a dispute. The process of mediation calls for an understanding of the facts involved in a given case while maintaining objectivity throughout the whole process. Through this, they may be able to understand the primary issue predisposing the conflict, and guide the parties in reaching a rational decision.
As recognized by Aamodt (79), a mediator does not make a decision during the conflict resolution process but guides the parties to reach a decision. To eliminate any instance of bias which may lead to one party being aggrieved, their engagement throughout the mediation process should accord each of the individual’s involved equal opportunities to air their sides of the story. Favoring one party during the mediation process may limit the capacity of the two parties to find a solution to the problem at hand. Remaining neutral motivates conflicting parties to open up and provide details required by the mediator, as they are sure that the third party will not compromise and favor the other person involved.

As such, the neutrality of the third party confers effectiveness of the mediation process, through instilling trust and openness during the process.
A typical situation where mediation is applicable is a dispute between members of a family over the ownership of a property to be inherited. In this case, mediation preserves a robust relationship, and assists siblings resolve favorably to each party. Integrity, sensitivity and effective communication skills are some of the attributes that enable a mediator to effectively assist conflicting parties to develop a practical solution to the issues at hand. A mediator should also be genuine to articulate issues in the desired manner.
Work Cited
Aamodt, Michael G. Industrial/Organizational Psychology: An Applied Approach., 2015. Internet resource.